A High School Teaching Plan for “Winesburg, Ohio”

Recently I completed some coursework to renew my license to teach English language arts to grades seven through twelve in the state of Ohio. One of the courses I completed was on teaching American fiction, which involved assignments centered on two books. The books I chose were Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio and Willa Cather’s My Antonia. One of the assignments was developing an in-depth plan for teaching one of these books, so I chose Winesburg and let the professor know I was also interested in posting this plan on my blog once the course was done. She supported this decision. I have never taught Winesburg in a school, but I have often thought about how I would go about it if I did, and this course was an opportunity to explore that possibility and also make available some ideas for other teachers to examine if they are so interested. I’ve illustrated this post with a variety of Anderson-related pictures, including some taken in Clyde, Ohio, which served a model for the setting of Winesburg, Ohio. 

Some of these pictures are photos of photos displayed in museum spaces, or are photographs of archival material I’ve explored. I visited Camden, Ohio twice during the summer of 2019. Camden is the town where Anderson was born and lived for about a year. The Camden Archives are a rich trove of Anderson material, including many articles on Anderson and his work published in various newspapers and periodicals. They also have a number of copies of The Winesburg Eagle, a publication devoted to Anderson’s life and work that the Sherwood Anderson Society published for many years. I provide information for the sources of these photos. My thanks to the volunteers at the Camden Archives for allowing me to view and photograph this material, to Elaine Reimer-Pare of Fresno Pacific University for her guidance with this coursework, and to the Clyde Museum in Clyde, Ohio–an excellent small museum well worth visiting. 

Except for some minor editorial changes, I am publishing this plan as it was when submitted for evaluation, but I want to mention an excellent suggestion from Professor Reimer-Pare that I would incorporate into this plan. She suggested having students listen to some audiobook selections from Winesburg since these stories have such a strong foundation in an oral storytelling tradition. In addition to helping students get a sense of the oral dimension of these tales, listening to a story read is enjoyable as well and may also help some students better integrate material if they have more of an auditory learning style. Finally, the Ohio state language arts standards for grades 11-12 required for this project are listed as an appendix to this post so readers can go directly into the plan.

I dedicate this post to the secondary English teachers of America. 

Winesburg, Ohio Teaching Plan: 

Before a teacher begins working with students on a book such as Winesburg, Ohio, I think it important to consider the nature of what students will face. On the surface level, the language in the book is not overly complex. It is straightforward, and the influence of the oral storytelling tradition Sherwood Anderson was raised in is apparent. However, this book is mostly set in an earlier time in American history–the rural America of the 1890s, a time period likely unfamiliar to many students. Winesburg, Ohio conjures a long gone agrarian America. Some of the town’s mores and folkways may seem strange to students of today. This is one possible barrier, and the opening sequence of activities, described later, is set up to address this issue. I think students will be better able to engage with this book when they can visualize and have some context for the world in which these characters dwell. Some basic knowledge of topics such as the fashion, entertainment, transportation, economics, politics, and recreation of this era can make the world of Winesburg more accessible.

There is another potential barrier to student understanding related to the structure of the stories and the book overall. For the student who is used to and believes at some level that all stories should follow the classic model of a beginning, middle, and end, characterized by rising action, climax, and falling action, the stories of Winesburg, Ohio can be challenging. They have a rambling, episodic quality. There is less focus on plot and more exploration of human nature and the problems of these characters. Anderson disliked the intensely plotted O. Henry type stories popular during the early twentieth century characterized by their “snapper” endings in which there is some kind of twist or revelation. The teacher needs to help the student understand the nature and form of these tales. This is an opportunity to demonstrate that writers have many ways to tell a story.

My belief is that Winesburg, Ohio is likely most effective at the eleventh or twelfth grade level. There is some mature content in the book, principally involving sex, although nothing explicit, but the romantic and sexual lives of men and women are part of the fabric of Winesburg. There is also material related to religion that may be unfamiliar to students. In regard to both topics, as the teacher I will approach this content with the maturity and appropriateness these situations require. To give one example, students may not understand why Alice Hindman remains waiting for Ned Currie in the story “Adventure,” even though he has gone to the city long ago and won’t return for her. In addition to the fact that she loves Ned, she has also had sex with him, and because of this she essentially considers herself married to him now. Here we have notions from past times regarding sexuality and experience that are likely baffling to a lot of students here in postmodern America, particularly the idea that a couple who have sex together, particularly if one or both are virgins, have entered a state similar to marriage. Ned tells Alice, “Now we will have to stick to each other, whatever happens we will have to do that.” 

I encountered a different but related kind of confusion with some students when I was working with The Scarlet Letter as a student teacher in 1997. Two girls in the class couldn’t get over why Hester was in such trouble for having a child out of wedlock. They had friends and family members who had had children outside of marriage. This necessitated a brief explanation from me about the Puritan culture of the times along with an explanation to them that this kind of tolerance was a more recent development, that it hadn’t been that long ago that pregnant teenage girls would go “live with an aunt for a while” until they had their baby (which was often put up for adoption), that illegitimacy used to carry a heavy stigma. The past is another country indeed.

I believe Winesburg, Ohio has a lot to offer older secondary school students. A significant number of stories concern a central character close in age to the students. He is trying to make sense of the world and the people around him, particularly older adults—something students encounter as their own circles of experience widen with more freedom and interactions with people beyond the home, school, and peer group. Finally, Anderson was concerned about people  living authentic lives and possessing integrated personalities. If there is a hallmark of our age, it is a drive for greater emancipation for people who have been marginalized for a variety of reasons—gender, sexuality, immigrant status, race prejudice and other factors. Many young people instinctively respond with support and acceptance for those who are trying to be seen and heard for who they truly are. However, these are not the only reasons people can feel marginalized, devalued, and unheard. Anderson loved life and wanted all people to be their true selves. This is a key theme in the book that I believe can appeal to students. I hope that as we “compose” our own readings of the book, we can feel some of the excitement and discovery that attended the author during its composition. I would love to see this happen for any book that we explore in the classroom.

For this teaching plan I am going to identify and explain the different kinds of strategies and tools we will use in conjunction with the book, along with themes and ideas that we will explore, then I will break this down into the day-by-day level. At the conclusion of the plan, I will discuss possible final assessments and projects. I have listed some general objectives below; the state standards addressed by this plan are listed in the appendix section of this post. 

General Objectives:

1) Students will be able to identify and discuss examples of simile, imagery, setting, plot, characterization, allusion, symbol, dialogue, foreshadowing, unreliable narrator, point of view, tone, irony, and internal and external conflict.
2) Make text connections through text-to-self, text-to-world, and text-to-text activities.
3) Respond both verbally and in writing to issues raised by the text.
4) Participate in a structured group discussion about issues related to leading an authentic life and being our true selves in relation to the “grotesques” of Anderson’s book.
5) Examine the writer’s craft and Winesburg, Ohio’s connection to the oral storytelling tradition.
6) Explore the themes in the book, with special focus on the coming-of-age of George Willard and the importance of living authentic lives.
7) Compare and contrast ideas and characters in Winesburg, Ohio with similar ideas and characters in poems by Midwestern poets Edgar Lee Masters and Dave Etter.
8) Analyze Winesburg, Ohio not just as a work of American literature but as a work of American regionalism.
9) Develop some basic knowledge of American life in the 1890s.
10) Apply contextual knowledge of American life in the 1890s to events, behavior, and characters in the book.
11) Identify and discuss the kinds of internal and external conflict experienced by characters in the book.

 

 

Opening Activity:

I am a firm believer in helping students get grounded in the world they are about to enter. One teaching text I have a great deal of appreciation for is Kelly Gallagher’s Deeper Reading: Comprehending Challenging Texts, 4-12, in which he argues for methods to help students read more deeply throughout the course of an assignment. An important element here is pre-reading activity. He argues against “cold” readings in which students just plunge into a book with little preparation and continue without the necessary support.

The opening activity for Winesburg, Ohio involves students being broken into groups to research various topics related to the world in which the stories take place. Students will be broken into small groups on the following topics: 1) the life and work of Sherwood Anderson 2) Small town life in the American 1890s 3) Fashion and entertainment in the 1890s 4) Farm life in rural America of the 1890s 5) Politics and economics in the 1890s 6) The rise of industrialism in America. I will provide a lot of structure for this particular assignment. I will create the groups and then provide each group with the relevant websites to examine and some guiding questions. Students will have two days to work on this and then a third to develop a short presentation to the class in the form of a brief PowerPoint or Prezi. On the fourth day they will present to their classmates.

At the conclusion of this activity, the students will have some rudimentary knowledge of his work and background. They will also have some glimpses into this past world that can aid them inunderstanding the book. For example, one of the characters works in a millinery shop. Students will see how important hats were as an element of women’s fashion at the time. It is even noted in the story “Nobody Knows” that Louise Trunnion is leaving her home without a hat on.

The importance of local merchants in communities will be evident after a look at the small town life of the times. The world of small town commerce is repeatedly referenced in Winesburg, Ohio. Students will learn why travel in Winesburg is usually by foot or horsedrawn vehicle. Larger travel requires the railroad, a huge influence on American life then. The railroad also has a symbolic function in these stories as it does in many other works of American literature and folk culture.

Themes:

The following are all possible themes to examine in Winesburg, Ohio: loneliness, repression, community, romance, coming-of-age (maturity), isolation, acceptance. For the purpose of this plan, we are going to focus on two key themes: one is the growth towards maturity and the increase in self-knowledge; the other is the concept of characters as “grotesques” and the problem of authenticity. The focus on the journey to maturity dovetails with the concerns of students at this age. Students will be introduced to the concept of the bildungsroman: the novel of a young person’s growth from youth to maturity. The element of the bildungsroman and these two key themes will be worked with throughout the book.

Literary Terms:

As we work through the book, we will look at the following literary devices in action: allusion, symbol, internal and external conflict, dialogue, foreshadowing, unreliable narrator, setting, point of view, tone, and irony. We will also examine Anderson’s use of language.

Vocabulary:

Many English classes now use a vocabulary book or a program like Membean for vocabulary work. For the purposes of this plan, I am going to hypothetically situate this in classes using such a stand-alone format, and have such work be assumed to be part of the daily routine without constant mention of it in the plan. Any problematic vocab with the book will be addressed when it comes up, but our vocab words will not be drawn from Anderson’s text.

The Oral Tradition:

We will examine the storytelling voice that appears in many of these stories. Anderson was raised in the oral storytelling tradition. His father was an outstanding raconteur, and Anderson grew up listening to storytellers in saloons, railroad stations, country stores and the like. A question to consider as we read Winesburg, Ohio: how does this kind of storytelling voice differ from other approaches? What are some of its unique characteristics? Who do you picture telling these tales?

Text Connections:

Text connections: text-to-self; text-to-world; text-to-text—are a powerful means to help students make sense of what they’re reading and connect the text directly to the world and to their own prior knowledge. They’re a way to bridge the space between the reader and the text. Throughout this book I will ask students to make text connections.

Reading Logs/Response Journals:

Students will be required to keep a reading log of Winesburg, Ohio. There will be different dimensions to this component. Students should write a short synopsis of each story after it is read and have some short notes about the characters. I may give them an occasional guiding question or two to think about as they read that they have to answer, or I might ask them to make a text connection. I will encourage students to write down any questions they have about the story or areas where they are confused, so the reading log may also function as a kind of double entry diary. On some occasions I will ask students a question in regard to a story, the book overall, or some kind of related question and ask them to freewrite on it. These responses can go into this log as well. By the end of the book the students will have accumulated quite a bit of writing—notes, observations, answers, etc.—in connection to Winesburg, Ohio. This will likely be on their laptops.

Poems as companion texts:

There are some family resemblances between Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio and Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology. On occasion, to mix things up a little, I will have the students read a poem from Spoon River Anthology featuring a character similar to the one we have just read about in one of the Winesburg stories. There are also some poems by Midwestern poet Dave Etter that have themes and characters bearing some resemblance to Anderson’s villagers. Dave Etter’s Alliance, Illinois is a fantastic collection of poetic portraits of people in a small Illinois town along the lines of Spoon River Anthology, but there is a lot more humor in the book and fewer blighted lives—a nice counterbalance to Masters. Students will see how different writers treat similar topics and can compare and contrast setting and characters.

This is also an opportunity to look at the literature of Midwestern and rural America in a comparative way and give students some idea of regionalism in literature. Stories set in small towns and on farms are common in literary works from across the United States, but are especially associated with the literature of the American South and Midwest. The tensions and joys of small town life are a rich fabric in Midwestern literature. Stories of village life are also found in literature around the world. While I don’t want to go too far afield with this and overwhelm students, I do want them to see how Winesburg, Ohio is part of larger traditions while remaining a unique work.

Study Guides/Graphic Organizers:

Study guides of various kinds along with graphic organizers would be used to help students in their work with Winesburg, Ohio. For example, one organizer could be set up in such a way in relation to setting. One interesting aspect of Winesburg, Ohio is how many stories have important action that takes place at night, when people are free to do or say things by themselves or with others that might be unacceptable in the light of day. Such an organizer could have various stories listed along with boxes in which students list the characters involved in the story and significant action that takes place in the night time, with room for students to reflect on why the events are important in these people’s lives.

Group Annotation Activity:

In this activity the class would be broken into a number of groups. Each group will get a photocopy of a page from a story in Winesburg, Ohio. Each member of the group will make an annotation of something they find significant in the piece. Then each group will go up to the document camera and display their annotated document. All members would then explain why they made their annotations and why they are important. Annotation is an important reading-writing-thinking skill, something I would have worked with them on prior to this book. But it is beneficial for students to see what their peers have marked as important—this is an opportunity to see how people select details others wouldn’t, and seeing what others have done might spur their own ideas or cause them to reflect on their own thinking–metacognition is always an important goal in any classroom.

Periodic Quizzes:

Students will occasionally have a quiz. What I want to avoid is the kind of SparkNotes kinds of questions (“Where does George Willard work?” and so on). These might just be one or two questions, but they might be more along the lines of “How are Alice Hindman and Belle Carpenter similar?” or “How is the relationship of Reverend Hartman to Kate Swift different from that of George Willard to her? How is it similar?” The point is to go deeper with our thinking and our reading. There are different kinds of assessments we can give students that hit on different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, so we have lots of options. For example, one might be to ask students to make three different kinds of text connections to the story they just read and explain their reasoning. 

George Willard Character Development Chart:

Through the course of the book we will track the development of George Willard. This will be some kind of graphic organizer in which we will note the interactions George has with other characters and how he responds. We will note the nature of these interactions and record what we believe he is experiencing and learning.

Authenticity Discussion Guide:

After we have finished reading the book, students will have a structured group discussion activity around the topic of authenticity and personal identity—matters that are important to many of us, and especially so to young people who are developing their own interests, goals and beliefs. Some sample discussion questions will follow towards the end of this sequence.

Schedule:
For the purpose of this activity, I’m going to use the school calendar for the year 2020. Many public schools in my area had spring break during the last week of March, so work with this book would begin upon our return in the pandemic hadn’t intervened.

Monday, March 30, 2020: Introduction to Winesburg, Ohio. Activation of prior knowledge—writing activity about what students think life would have been like in rural Ohio in the 1890s; any information they know about that time. Review answers. General introduction to Winesburg, Ohio. Students broken into groups and students receive assignments.

Tuesday, March 31, 2020: Students work on their research.

Wednesday, April 1, 2020: Students continue research.

Thurday, April 2, 2020: Students create short PowerPoints/Prezi presentations.

Friday, April 3, 2020: Presentations. Quickwrite pre-reading activity on “The Book of the Grotesque”: “What keeps people from being their true selves?” They will have time to respond to this in class. Students will have a short list of questions to answer on this section of the book, which they need to read over the weekend. We will also review the literary term allusion. In “The Book of the Grotesque,” the Civil War POW camp Andersonville in Georgia is mentioned—a good example of allusion.

Monday, April 6, 2020: Review of “The Book of the Grotesque.” Examination of this as a kind of framing device for the book as a way to understand the characters. Activity: cluster web on the word “grotesque.” Each student will do this. What comes to mind when you hear the word? What does Anderson’s writer figure believe it means? Homework (hereafter listed “HW”): Read “Hands”—write down any questions, comments you have.

Tuesday, April 7, 2020: “Hands”—one of the most famous Winesburg stories. It has been anthologized a number of times. At this point we will begin our chart on George Willard. We will note George’s interactions with Wing and his responses. We will also complete an attribute web on Wing Biddlebaum as a way to focus on characterization. The attribute web has space for a character’s name at the center. Four different quadrants branch off from the circle. They are titled “Acts and Feels,” “Looks,” “Lives,” and “How Others Feel/ What They Say.” Students will make the appropriate notes in these sections. We will explore the character of Wing and see why he has become “grotesque.” As with many of these people, he has wonderful characteristics and gifts that have been lost or repressed because of difficulties in life. HW: Read “Paper Pills” and “Mother.”

Wednesday, April 8, 2020: Any questions students have about these stories. Examination of “Paper Pills” and “Mother.” A review of symbol, with a look at the “twisted apples” in the story. Examination of “Mother.” We will also use this story as an opportunity to look at the character of Elizabeth Willard as a grotesque and examine the internal conflict of this character. We will also make some notations about George on our chart focused on him HW: Read “The Philosopher” and “Nobody Knows.”

Thursday, April 9, 2020. Short quiz focused on Dr. Parcival of “The Philosopher” and Dr. Reedy of “Paper Pills.” Companion text: We will first examine “Avery Lucas: Apples,” a poem by Dave Etter that examines some twisted apples similar to the ones in Dr. Reefy’s story. The poem is also a good example of a literary work with rural Midwestern imagery, and provides students with a comparison text to Anderson’s description of the countryside. We will then examine the story of Dr. Parcival—“The Philosopher”–and the notion of the unreliable narrator, and we will also examine the story of George Willard and Louis Trunion—“Nobody Knows.” This examination will also include a look at description as an aspect of characterization (the writer’s craft). We will fill in our chart on George some more. HW: In your response journal—“What is your impression of George Willard so far?”

Friday, April 10, 2020. We are about to read the four-part story “Godliness,” which has stimulated critical debate over the years. Does this story really belong in the collection? Or is it an integral portrait that highlights just how distorted a person’s character can become from zealous devotion to an idea, thereby rendering that person grotesque? Today we will take a look at the power of allusion here and examine the story of David and Goliath in the Bible and some of the other Biblical allusions mentioned in the story. We will also refer back to our earlier pre-reading work and discuss the advent of industrialism in the United States and the change from a largely agrarian world to a more industrialized one. HW over weekend: Read “Godliness.” 

Monday, April 13, 2020: We will do an in-depth look at “Godliness” with a study guide activity. Students will be able to work in groups of two or three. We will examine allusion, foreshadowing, and internal and external conflict. This lesson will also address the very overt mention by Anderson here of changes in American life with the onset of industrialism in the United States. As we continue reading the book, students will be asked to reflect on whether or not they think this story sequence belongs in the book. This is to help make them aware of the critical discussion that is always ongoing with literary works, and they can contribute to it in their own ways in our class. HW: Finish study guide if not done in class and read “A Man of Ideas” and “Adventure.”

Tuesday, April 14, 2020: Freewrite—your response to Winesburg, Ohio so far. Questions, concerns? Today we look at two very different stories. “A Man of Ideas” has more of a comic feel. We are back to George and another man telling George some of his theories about life. We will add a few notes to the “George chart.”

“Adventure” is an especially poignant story in the collection. In both stories we will look at characterization, but in “Adventure” we will also look at the use of flashback and imagery. The concluding lines are some of the most famous in Winesburg, Ohio. Companion poem: “Molly Dunaway: Rainbow” from Dave Etter’s Alliance, Illinois. HW: Read “Respectability,” “The Thinker,” and “Tandy.”

Wednesday, April 15, 2020: Short quiz on these three stories. Students will do a group activity in which they pick one of these stories and do the following: 1) Make a text-to-world connection 2) Make a text-to-text connection 3) Identify a piece of prose they find especially compelling. 4) Find an example of the oral storytelling influence in one of these stories. HW: Read “The Strength of God” and “The Teacher.” Students will be informed George is featured in most of the upcoming stories.

Thursday, April 16, 2020: We will review “Respectability, “The Thinker,” and “Tandy” and then plunge into the two stories we read for homework. The students will complete a Venn diagram activity comparing and contrasting the interactions of Reverend Hartman and George Willard with the teacher Kate Swift. Irony, internal conflict, and point of view will be highlighted here. Students will add to their “George charts.” HW: Read “Loneliness” and “An Awakening.” As we continue through the days of class, we will examine George’s growth and also this theme of authenticity and why so many of these people have become “grotesque.”

Friday, April 17, 2020: We will begin by looking at two poems from Spoon River Anthology, “Reuben Paintier” and “Emily Sparks,” both of which bear some resemblance to the relationship between George Willard and Kate Swift. Today we will take a look at setting in particular, as well as George as a dynamic character. George gets a rough lesson in the story “An Awakening” and has another strange encounter in “Loneliness.” HW: Students need to read “Queer,” “The Untold Lie,” “Drink,” and “Death” over the weekend. We are nearing the end of the book.

Monday, April 20, 2020: We will compare and contrast the two men in “The Untold Lie” and do the same with the two young men who are the key figures in “Queer” and “Drink.” We will also examine the role of setting in Winesburg, Ohio as we have stories here that include both country and town. We will also examine “Death” and the character of George Willard, adding more notes to our chart. A question for students: how do you see George now? HW: Read “Sophistication,” one of the most beautiful and poignant stories in the book.

 

Tuesday, April 21, 2020: We will examine “Sophistication” in depth, which will include reading passages out loud (this is actually an excellent opportunity for students to listen to an audiobook reading). We will examine imagery in particular, and discuss the changing nature of George Willard, and we will also talk more of Helen White. We will also examine the role of setting here and why it plays such a big part in this story. Companion poem: “Hare Drummer” from Spoon River Anthology. HW: Read “Departure.”

Wednesday, April 22, 2020: We will examine “Departure,” the final story in which George leaves Winesburg behind. We will complete our sheet on George. We will also examine a recurring note in Midwestern literature, and in other literature from around the world, that of having to leave the village behind for the wider world. We will look at the poems “Lewis Percy: Goodbye” and “George Maxwell: County Seat” by Dave Etter from Alliance, Illinois.

Thursday, April 23, 2020: Guided Discussion Activity: Students will work in groups to look at topics of authenticity and the grotesque in Winesburg, Ohio. Students will address a variety of questions. These questions would include: Which character(s) seems the most “grotesque? Why do you think so? What are the forces in life that cause us to lose touch with who we are? How do people become warped in this fashion? What are some positive qualities you see in these people? What would you tell them if you could? How can they be helped? Why do you think George isn’t really able to help them? How can we be our authentic selves and still function in society without becoming distorted? Has this book broadened your knowledge of self and others?

Friday, April 24, 2020: Annotation activity. Class will be broken into groups. Each group will get a photocopy of a page of the text. Each member will make an annotation, then the group will shared their annotated text on the document camera and each member will explain why they made their notation, why it was important to their understanding.

Assessment:

Students will have a final test on the book. It will be in an essay format. There would likely be four robust essay questions that address the book at a deeper level. This teaching plan has been designed so we assess at that deeper level. It’s a shame to really work with kids on a book and probe deeply into it and then give them a multiple choice, true-false, etc. kind of test.

Culminating Activity:

These are all potential culminating activities for the students in regard to Winesburg, Ohio.

Write a Winesburg Eagle feature story about one of the characters in Winesburg, Ohio that shows the positive side of the person.

Write a selection of diary entries written in the voice of one of the characters.

Create a painting, drawing, or sculpture of a character or scene from Winesburg, Ohio. This should be a work that shows some time and effort was put into it.

Create a graphic novel version of one of the stories in Winesburg, Ohio.

Create a map of Winesburg showing incidents that occurred in the book.

Write a letter from George back home to Winesburg explaining what he learned in his time there.

Stage a “talk show” in which a number of students portray characters from the book discussing their issues.

Have students role play a therapist and one of the characters. Students should really research how a therapist might talk with this person and what kind of advice a therapist would provide.

Have students write a script and create a dramatic version of one of the stories.

Have students write a script for something that is alluded to in one of the stories but not actually portrayed, such as Elizabeth Willard walking in town with one of the men from the hotel before she married Tom Willard, or Tom Foster’s mother telling of her life in Winesburg while they ride in the train bound for her old hometown. What might she say?

Another option is to write a scene that might have occurred that Anderson didn’t portray, like Louise Trunion talking with her father after coming back to the house or Ned Currie talking to his wife about the girl he once loved back in Winesburg.

Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio is a book that has long been established as a classic work of American fiction. The time seems right for this book finding a place in the secondary school English curriculum. The books abounds in themes that resonate with young people. It is my earnest hope that this post might help stimulate interest in Winesburg, Ohio. 

Patrick Kerin 

 

 

Appendix: Ohio English Language Arts Standards for grades 11-12 that apply to this plan. 

Grades 11-12
RL.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
RL.11-12.2 Analyze literary text development.
1. Determine two or more themes of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another.
2. Produce a thorough analysis of the text.
RL.11-12.3 Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
RL.11-12.4 Determine the connotative, denotative, and figurative meanings of words and phrases as they are used in the text; analyze the impact of author’s diction, including multiple- meaning words or language that is particularly evocative to the tone and mood of the text.
RL.11-12.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
RL.11-12.6 Analyze a case in which grasping point of view or perspective requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement) and evaluate the impact of these literary devices on the content and style of the text.
RL.11-12.9 Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more diverse texts from the same period treat similar themes and/or topics.
RL.11-12.10 By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range, building background knowledge and activating prior knowledge in order to make personal, societal, and ethical connections that deepen understanding of complex text.
RL.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 11–CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently, building background knowledge and activating prior knowledge in order to make personal, societal, and ethical connections that deepen understanding of complex text.

Grades 11-12
W.11-12.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
1. Establish and clear and thorough thesis to present a complex argument.
2. Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
3. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
4. Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
5. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
6. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

W.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
1. Establish a clear and thorough thesis to present and explain information.
2. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new
element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia to aid comprehension, if needed.
3. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
4. Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
5. Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
6. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic). W.11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.11-12.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
W.11-12.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

7. W.11-12.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
8. a. Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more diverse texts from the same period treat similar themes and/or topics”).
b. Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and
9. evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy [e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses]”).
10. W.11-12.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Grades 11-12
SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on- one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
11. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
12. Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed.
13. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
14. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.
15. SL.11-12.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.
16. SL.11-12.5 Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.